Combined bracket and latch for oven doors



Sept. 23, 1952 v. A. BENSON COMBINED BRACKET AND LATCH FOR OVEN DOORSFiled Oct. 21, 1950 IN VEN TOR. Victor A. Benson HIS ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 23, 1952 OFFICE COMBINED BRACKET AND LATCH FOR OVEN DOORSVictor A. Benson, Santa Clara, Calif. Application October 21, 1950,Serial No. 191,426

2 Claims.

This invention relates to brackets and latches and more particularly toa combined bracket and latch for an oven door.

The invention herein has been shown embodied in an oven door structureformed as a part of a barbecue fire box of either the permanent orportable type. The invention contemplates the provision of a bracketstructure for a door hinged along its lowermost horizontal margin whichbracket serves as a means for latching such door in closed, vertical,position.

Another object is to provide a novel latch for holding an oven door inclosed condition but free to open when a predetermined pressure or pullis exerted upon such door.

Another object is to provide a door bracket arrangement for a doorhinged along its lower edge which bracket effects an over center actionwhen the door reaches a predetermined angular disposition relative toclosed position to thereby urge such door into closed condition.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent inthe following description when read in the light of the drawings inwhich:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a portable barbecue unit embodying thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section through the portablebarbecue unit shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section through a permanent barbecue pit embodying thepresent invention.

Referring to the drawings Fig, 1 illustrates a portable barbecue unitIll comprising a rectangular frame I! having legs l2. Secured to thelegs l2 midway their ends are angle irons I3 to which are secured sideand back walls l4, l5 and |6 in the form of panels H. A front wall It!has its lower edge l9 disposed substantially above the lower angle ironl3. An angle iron I3 is secured to the edge I9 to provide a lintel for adoor frame 20, the sides of which frame are formed by the inturnedflanges I2 of the legs |2.

The upper edges of the front, back and side walls are girded by angleirons 2| having their flanges 22 extending outwardly. The angle irons 2|are secured to the upper ends of the legs |2 and form a support for afire box 23, the lower portion 24 of which is suspended above a floor 25secured to the angle irons I3. Thus the area between the fire box 23 andthe floor 25 constitutes an oven 26 which is heated by the coals burningin the fire box. However, it will be apparent that tance below the firebox 23 to provide an oven 26'.

' The front wall l8 of the unit l0 has an opening 30 therein in which anangle iron door frame 3| is set and secured in the conventional manner,the lower margin 32 of frame 3| being in alignment with the floor 25 sothat access to the oven 26' is gained through the opening 30. This issubstantially the same structure as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 wherein theinturned flanges l2 of legs |2 form the side margins of the door frame20, the lower angle iron I3 being in alignment with the floor 25 and theangle iron I31 at the lower edge of wall l8 forms the lintel over thedoor opening 30.

The door and combined bracket and latch therefore is generallydesignated by reference numeral 35 in the drawings. It includes an angleiron mounting member 36 having one of its flanges 31 secured to thelowermost angle iron l3 or 32 as the case may be in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 ofthe drawings. The other flange 38 of the member 36 extends outwardlyfrom the oven and has one wing 39 of a hinge 40 secured to its lowersurface. The other wing 4| of the hinge 40 is secured to the front faceof a door 4'2, the axis pin 43 of the hinge being so disposed relativeto the end of the flange 38 of mounting member 36 that the door 42 willswing into parallelism with the front face of the oven.

The door 42 comprises a flat panel 44 of sheet metal having one of itsedges 45 abutting the hub 46 of the hinge 40. The opposite edge 41 ofpanel 44 is bent at right angles to provide an inturned flange 48 on theinner face of the door 42. Theside edges 49 and 50 of the panel 44 aresimilarly provided with inturned flanges 5| and 52, respectively. Thedepth of the inturnedflanges 48, 5| and 52 are such as to engage theouter surface of the frame 20 or 3| around the opening 30 to the oven,the lower edges 53 and 54 of side flanges 5| and 52, respectively,engaging the horizontal flange 38 of the mounting member 36 to thuscompletely close the opening 30.

Each side of the door 42 is preferably provided with a combined bracketand latch 55 comprising a straight metal strap 56, and a vertical slot51 formed in the respective inturned flange 3 l2'l2" of the side marginof the frame 20 or 3!, respectively. The strap 56 has an enlarged head58 at one end and has its opposite end 59 extended through itsrespective slot 5'! for pivotal connection, as at 60, to the inner faceof the adjacent side flange 5! or 52. The pivotal connection 60 in eachcase is preferably at least two third the radial distance of the upperflange :13 of the door from the hinge 40. The slot 52-, as best seen. inFig. 2, is disposed a slightly lesser distance from the hinge 40 than isthe pivotal connection 68 so that when the door 42 is raised into aposition beyond two thirds closed position scope of the appended claims.

(see dot-dash illustration) the floor 61 of the slot 51 will support thestrap 56 in substantially horizontal disposition. Consequently, as thedoor 42 is moved further toward closed position the ends of the straps56 within the oven become counterweights. In this manner thecounterweight ends of the straps effect an over-center action relativeto the floor SI of the slots 5'! and thereby tend to pull the door 42from partially closed position toward fully closed-position. In otherwords, the enlarged heads 53 of the straps and the greater portions ofthe straps 55 being extended within the oven in cantilever fashion actas counterweights opposing the tendency of the door to fall toward openposition. The weight of the enlarged ends 58 of the straps 5'6 and thelength of the inwardly extending portions thereof are calculated tocooperate with the floor 6| of the respective slots 57 to urge the, door52 into fully closed position. 7

.When the door 42 is in fully closed position (dotted lines Fig. 2) itwill be noted that the pivotal connection 80 of the straps 56 with theside flanges (5 |52) of the door is slightly higher than the floor 61 ofthe slots 51. Thus the floors '6! of the slots serve as fulcrumscooperating with the counterweight ends of the straps to automaticallyeffect a lever action in latching the door in fully closed position.However, any outside force such as manually pulling the door open or anyundue pressure from within the oven, as by a minor explosion, willcounteract the foregoing latching effect of the straps 5.5 to allowmovement of the door 42 toward open position. This is important,especially in connection with ovens heated by natural gas wherein asafety factor is required to prevent destruction of the oven in theevent of an explosion. within the oven.

In addition to the foregoing latching effect of the straps. 56 relativeto the oven door, these strapssimultaneously serve ashanger brackets forsupporting the door 42 in a horizontal position when opened. In thisconnection the lengths of the straps which act as part of thecounterweight are suitable to extend from the horizontally disposed doorto the upright angle irons l2"l2 Moreover the enlarged ends 58 of thestraps, which also act as part of the counterweight, serve as a stopadapted to abut against the inner sur faces of the angle irons i2l2" inwhich the slots are formed. In the latter connection the enlarged ends53 of the straps 58 are each provided with an abutting surf-ace E2adapted to engage the inner surface of the respective angle irons l2! 2above the slot formed therein. In

this manner the straps 53 serve as hanger brackets for the door 42.

In addition to the foregoing the straps 56 sliding in the slots 51 serveto guide the door 42 in which the slots 5'! are formed.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A door structure for a barbecue warming oven comprising an uprightdoor frame, an outwardly extending hinge support element mounted at thelower edge of said frame, a door hinged along its lower edge to an outerportion of said hinge support element, and of a thickness to closeagainst said frame, a combined bracket and latch for said doorcomprising a strap having a sub.- stantially straight lower edge andpivotally connected to said door a predetermined distance from itshinged lower edge, said strap extending through a slot formed in saiddoor frame and having an enlarged end engageable with said frame to holdsaid door in open position, and a floor in said slot acting as a fulcrumto cooperate with said strap when said door is raised a predetermineddistance toward its closed position to effect a counterweighted leveraction by said strap, between said slot floor and said door for urgingthe latter toward closed position.

2. A door structure for a barbecue warming oven comprising a rectangulardoor frame having a slot in each side thereof, a door support flangemounted along the lower edge of said door frame to extend outwardlytherefrom, a shallow pan shaped door hingedly mounted onthe outer edgeof said door support flange, said door pan being, of a depth to closewith its marginal edge in contact with the door frame, a door controlstrap pivotally mounted on each side of the door pan and extendingthrough one of said slots, the inner end of each strap being larger thanthe slot through which it extends to limit the opening movement of thedoor, and a floor in each slot comprising a sliding fulcrum over whichthe strap moves slidably in opening and closing said door, the slotfloor being spaced inwardly a short distance relative to the length ofthe strap from the strap pivot when the door is in closed position, andat a height relative to the strap pivot to incline the strap downwardlywhen the door is in closed position to exert a counterweighted doorclosing lever action on the closed door.

VICTOR A. BENSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,511,841 Rankin Oct. 14, 19241,621,500 Fitch Mar. 22, 1927 1,735,661 Trenkamp Nov. 12, 1929 2,513A14Jones et al July 4, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 18,836Switzerland Oct. 23. 1899

